Welcome to "the land down under!" That's how Dr. Jim Applegate made us feel with his presentation, "An Australian Wildlife Exploration" at NJ OWL's January, 2002 meeting. During a sabbatical, Dr. Applegate, a professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution & Natural Resources at Cook College, spent the better part of a year in Australia, where he had an opportunity to learn about its unique wildlife.

As an island continent isolated for millions of years, unique flora and fauna evolved from a limited number of ancestral groups. Despite the differences between the US and Australia, the two countries have odd similarities, even if they are sometimes turned up side down. Dr. Applegate pointed out how Australia is shaped roughly like an inverted image of the continental US. Most of the country is temperate with the seasons reversed from ours. Summer lasts from December to February, and winter from June to August. Seasons are defined more by precipitation than temperature. Dr. Applegate said that at any given time, somewhere in Australia, it is either too wet, or too dry.

When you think of Australia, kangaroos and koalas come to mind. It has over 130 species of marsupials, of which 40 are kangaroo-like animals. The largest are red kangaroos, which have a high reproductive potential. A mature female is likely to have one offspring in the womb, one in its pouch, and one that has left the pouch but still comes back to its mother for visits. Dr. Applegate explained how this reproductive potential has lead to conflicts with other land uses (farming and cattle ranching). It can be likened, he said, to the exploding deer population that occurs in some places in NJ. The culling of kangaroos is a very political issue. Other less controversial marsupials include wallabies, wombats, possums, bandicoots, and of course, koalas who sleep most of the day when they are not feeding on eucalyptus leaves.

During European colonization, a number of non-native animals were introduced that proved detrimental to many indigenous species. Horses, camels, water buffalo, sheep, rabbits, and rats all were introduced and play havoc with the native ecosystems by competing with native wildlife.

Australia has some of the most diverse and colorful species of birds. There are flightless emus and penguins, a variety of psittacines (parrot-like birds), cassowaries, and who could forget the song of the laughing kookaburra in the old gum tree?

The lists goes on, and we didn't even mention the reptiles, monotremes (egg laying mammals) or the marine life of the Great Barrier Reef! YIKES!

After trekking through this Land of Oz, we were told the best way to tame hunger pangs and quench the thirst was to order up "a burger with the lot" with a nip or schooner on the side. How is that for bush tucker? So here's a round of cheer and thanks to Dr. Applegate, a fair dinkum (genuine) kind of guy!

submitted by Laura Zelenka

Copyright Statement